Foster Care

Foster Care Parent Information

We are looking for caring individuals who are interested in making a difference in a child's life.For additional info, please see our Foster Care Brochure.

What should I know about Foster Parenting?

The goal for most children in Foster Care is to be reunited with their birth parents. Foster families work with birth parents to achieve this goal. The length of time a child will stay with you depends on many factors. It could be for a few days, a few months or much longer. It is important to note that medical and dental costs are covered for children in foster care. Teens in foster care are eligible for programs to help them learn life skills and may be eligible for some college financial assistance.

Foster Care provides children age newborn to 21 with temporary, safe, loving homes, when their own families are unable to care for them.

Foster Parents become part of a countywide team working together to support, nurture, and protect children.Becoming a Foster Parent is not a lifetime commitment to a child, it is a commitment that will have a meaningful impact on a child's life.

Services

Specialized services are provided for youth between the ages of 14 and 21 to connect them with a significant adult resource and prepare them for independence.

Adoption Unit

The Adoption Unit works with children who cannot be reunited with birth parents. Children are then either adopted by their present foster parents or placed in suitable adoptive homes. Adoption is finalized through Family Court.

Post-Adoption

Post-Adoption services are vital to adoptive families. Resources and information about post-adoption services can be found on the website of the New York State Office for Children and Family Services: OCFS

Who Can Qualify and Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent?

You must be at least 21 years old.

You can be married, single or living in partnership.

Have your own source of income.

Have a bed for each child.

Have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Provide a safe and healthy home.

Each person in the home 18 years or older must be fingerprinted and cleared through the Child Abuse Registry, FBI and Justice Center Registry.

What Support is Provided to the Foster Parents?

A stipend for food, clothing and board, based on the child's age and need for special services.

Medicaid Managed Care insurance for the child.

Payment for daycare for working parents.

Support from individual caseworker.

Ongoing training to learn about caring for children in Foster Care.

Who Are The Children Who Come Into Foster Care?

They are between the ages of newborn and 18. They can be any ethnicity.

They are from Rockland County.

They may have been removed from their homes because of abuse, neglect or maltreatment.

They may have been voluntarily placed by their parents who themselves were unable to provide for them.